Aim indicator



H. M. HICKAM AIM INDICATOR Filed Feb. 2. 1923 eofittu i in Patented pr. 15, 1924i..

HORACE M. HICKAM, OF VfASI-IINGTON, BISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

AIM'. INDICATOR.

Application filed February 2, 1823.

To @ZZ 107mm t may conce/rn.'

.le it known. that l, Honaon M. HICKAM, citizen of the United States, residing at lVashington, in the District oi Columbia, have invented certain new and useful lmn pi'ovements in Aim indicators, of which the following is a specification.

rllhis invention relates to aim indicators ot the type in which an electric lamp is used upon a lire arm of any kind and usually combined with a lens and switcii ot such character that when the trigger ot' the lire arm is operated a beam of light is thrown upon a target, thereby indicating whether the aim is true or not.

The main object ot the present invention is to provide apparatus ot the character above referred to which is adapted to be applied to or used in conjunction with a standard tire arm so that troops may be trained in the aiming and use of the particular stand ard lire arm used in actual warfare.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple apparatus of the character referred to, operable by the trigger of the tire arm to first conduct a portion ot the electric current to the filament of the electric lamp for heating said iilament, then conducting the whole current to the lamp for producing the maximum light, and then cutting ott the current just prior to the completion of the .tiring stroke ot the hammer ot the tire arm. The cutting ott' ot the current however, does not impair the brightness of the lamp, the spot of light projected from the lamp being visible on the target at the moment that the hammer linishes its tiring stroke.

The source ot electric energy tor the lamp is shown as consisting of a battery in compact form which is inserted in the hand grip ot the lire arm in the place usually occupied by the magazine. Therefore, the aim indicating apparatus does not materially alter the appearance, weight or other characteristics ot the tire arm in conjunction with which the indicating apparatus is used.

The invention consists in the novel arrangement herein fully described, illustrated and claimed. In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section of a tire arm to which the aim indicating` apparatus is shown applied, said view also showing diagrammatically the Wiring system.

Serial No. 616,628.

Figure 2 is a detailed elevation ot the contact clip.

Figure 3 is a side elevation ot the same.

Figure 4 is a diagram oit the wiring system.

The aim indicating apparatus is for convenience shown applied to a pistol but it will be apparent as the description proceeds, that the apparatus may be applied to or used in conjunction with any type of lire arm. rlhe apparatus is so designed that it may be applied to` any standard lire arm as this will conduce to the proper and more accurate training of troops.

In carrying out the present invention, the usual cartridge magazine is removed 'from the hand grip 5 of the tire arm and a battery 6 is inserted in the magazine chamber oit the hand grip in lieu ot the magazine as illustrated in Figure 1. Ar electric lamp 7 is inserted in the breech ot the barrel 8 ot the lire arm and into an electric lamp socket 9 which is in contact with the inside of the barrel 8. rlhe lens 10 is inserted in a tube or liner 11 which tits into the barrel 8 and is highly polished on its inside. The lens 10 is of the concentrating type so as to bring the rays ot the lamp 7 into parallelism, thereby causing the single concentrated beam of light to be projected 'from the tire arm upon a suitable target which thereby displays a single brilliant spot of light at the moment ot tiring.

1n conjunction with the battery and lamp herein above described, a switch mechanism is employed operable by the trigger 1Q of the tire arm. T he switch mechanism is formed in part by the hammer 13 of the lire arm which for the purpose of carrying out the invention is formed in one of the side walls thereof with a curved groove or depression 14, the curve ot said groove being described on the arc ot the circle of which the pivot 15 ot the hammer 13 is the center. Situated in the groove 1a and occupying a portion thereoi3 is a contact 16 the operation ot which will presently appear.

An inverted U-shaped contact clip 17 is placed over the rear end portion of the trame 18 ot the tire arm as shown in Figure 1, said clip being best illustrated in the detailed views Figures 2 and 3 wherein it will be observed that one branch of the clip is formed with a rearwardly extending arm 4 19 having contacts 20 and 21 exposed on hammer.

From the battery 6 a wire 22 extends to the contact 21 of the clip 17 while branch 23 of said Wire passes through a resistance 24 and then connects to the contact 2O as shown in Figure 4. The current flows from the battery 6 thru a wire 25 to the lamp 7 and then passes thru the frame of the fire arm to the hammer 13.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings the operation of the aim indicating apparatus will now be understood. The operator takes aim with the fire arm and then pulls the trigger 12 thereby releasing the hammer 13 which starts on its firing stroke. Then the Contact 16 touches the contact 20, the current iiows thru the resistance 24 and therefore only a portion of the whole current is conducted to the lamp 7, a suiicient pa-rt of the current however passing to the lamp to heat the filament thereof. Upon further movement of the hammer 13 the contact 16 touches the contact 21 and thereupon the entire current passes from t-he battery to the lamp. Upon a still further movement of the hammer 13 in the firing stroke thereof, the contact 16 passes beyond both of the contacts 20 and 21 and the current is automatically cut off just prior to the completion of the firing movement of the hammer. The interval between the moment that the contact 16 passes beyond the contact 21 and the moment the hammer finds its seat is however so brief that the beam of light from the lamp is still on the target at the very moment the hammer completes its firing stroke or in other words, at the very moment the cartridge would be lired were the fire arm loaded. This enables the aim of the operator to betrained with the utmost accuracy and while using the standard fire arm adopted by the Government for war time use.

It will also be seen that the apparatus is well adapted to be used in conjunction with a standard fire arm that it may be easily applied thereto and that it will not materially alter the appearance, weight or other characteristics of the fire arm.

I claim:

1. In an aim indicator embodying a lire arm and an electric lamp for luminously spotting the aim taken, switch mechanism operable by the fire arm trigger to first i# bij" throw the lamp into a low power circuit, then into a high power circuit and finally shut off the current prior to completion of the firing movement of the hammer of the fire arm.

2. In an aim indicator embodying a fire arm and an electric lamp for luminously spotting the aim taken a battery for energizing the lamp, a resistance, and switch mechanism operable by the fire arm trigger to first include the resistance in the lamp circuit, then transmit the full current to the lamp and Iinally shut off the current prior to completion of the firing movement of the hammer of the fire arm.

3. In an aim indicator embodying a fire arm and an electric lamp for luminously spot-ting the aim taken, switch mechanism' operable by the ire arm trigger and embodying contact means on the hammer of the fire arm and other contact means on the frame of the lire arm, the two contact means being so related that in the firing movement of the hammer, first only a portion of the current is conducted to the lamp, then the full current and vfinally the current is cut ofi" prior to completion of the firing movement of the hammer.

4. In an aim indicator embodying a fire arm and an electric lamp for luminously spotting the aim taken, switch mechanism operable by the fire arm trigger and em- /f' bodying a contact carried by the hammer the hammer thereof so arranged and related that during the firing movement of the hammer, the resistance is first included in the lamp circuit, then the full current and finally the current is cut olf prior to completion of the hammer movement.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HORACE M. HIOKAM.

means on the frame of the ire arm and on"" 

